Life, and All its Pleasant Bits

Hello, Friday!

It's wet and cloudy and 55 degrees.  Time for a cuppa!  Yes, Friends, I am currently steeping tea, and have every intention of adding both sugar AND milk.  Then, I'm going to settle down in my electric blanket and finish reading The Hound of the Baskervilles.  And then I'm going to bake a cake with apples in it.  Fast forward to the showering and the bringing of the cake to Abbie's class.

Doesn't that sound all cute and domestic and lovable?  I feel like I've regressed about 55 years. 

Okay, all humor aside, I am really looking forward to today.  It even gets better after school, because we're going to have Little Caesar's for dinner.  Tomorrow, of course, there will be stuff like cleaning house and making grocery lists and cooking meatloaf and all that, but today is going to be great!

Look at this, and tell me you're not hungry:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devonshire_tea

And it goes so well with this shirt I almost bought:  http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/womens/tops_shirts/shirts_blouses/PRD~1138846/LC+Lauren+Conrad+Floral+Chiffon+Blouse.jsp

Yes, I most certainly DID just match a food item to a clothing item.  I am a rebel.

*giggle*  I promise I haven't had the caffeine yet.

Ever listen to the sound your sugar makes when you add it to your tea?  Or....coffee.  You probably drink coffee.  Anyway, I like that sound. 

The spell check thinks that by Baskervilles, I probably meant "bisexuals". 

By the way, St. Louisans, I heard on the radio that the regional Irish dancers are having a competition tomorrow (Saturday) at the Marriott by the airport.  I don't know if spectators are charged, but it sounded fun to me...

I have hopes of seeing my grandmother this weekend!  Yay!  Maybe I can find a tea room that serves Devonshire tea and make her have some with me!

I hope that today is a good one for you.  Happy Friday, happy weekend, and happy almost October!

Whirlwind

Hello!  It is not raining at my house.  They promised me rain!!

So much is going on that my head is kinda spinning.  I don't know if I should start in the past or the future, so I'm going to split the difference and begin with NOW!

Right now:

*My hair is wet.  We're going curly today.
*I am in possession of new MP3 downloads.  One is another Pink Martini song, 3 were written by Scott Joplin, one is sung by Celtic Woman, and two more are by Bonnie Pink.  A typical Rosie assortment.
*I am suffering from an unknown rash on my throat and behind my ears.  Today I also detect it on my forehead.  It's like an allergic rash, but given the location, I think it might be from the solution that the hair lady used to remove hair color from my skin.  But I promise I've showered several times since my haircut.  Shouldn't it be getting better?
*Part of my brain is amusing itself with arranging my new songs into a CD/playlist. 
*Another part of my brain is composing emails to people about my upcoming schedule.
*I would like a nap.  I had very interrupted sleep last night.

Okay.  This is leaning toward the past, so we'll do that next:

Over the weekend, we finished the planter in the front yard.  The kids helped, and Josh did all the hard stuff.  Please don't think I'm a slacker.  He was re-doing what I had already done completely by myself.  Oh, and before that Josh and I got haircuts, and had lunch at Culvers because it was right there...and we were a>starving, and b>in possession of coupons.

Sunday, Josh had to run back to Lowes' to get the last of the project supplies, and he borrowed my car to do it.  That's okay, I'm not in the taiko performances that were being practiced, anyway.  I did go to the final practice for this session of the Community Group, and also stayed to celebrate their first year.  We had delicious snacks and beer and had a taiko jam session.  Fun, fun, fun!

Oh, I forgot to mention Thursday.  Thursday was our taiko meeting.  And guess what.  We're going to Japan!  Although, I don't think it's right to say "we".  The original plan was to go in 2014 - it marks a significant anniversary with our Sister-City.  I was going to go on that one.  Now, it has been changed to August of 2013, and I just don't know.  I don't want to be in another country for my son's next birthday.  And how will I scrape up that much money?  Everyone says I'll be among those picked to go, but why would I be?  Anyway, it's a lot to think about, and I'm upset by it.  I do love being in Japan, though.  So, prepare yourself to listen to a lot of complaining.  This trip would make next summer like this:  Practice for J-Fest all July, go to Japan, host Osuwa Taiko again - only for a longer time, J-Fest, Springfield.  Right.  Just doing J-Fest and Springfield drives most members over the edge.  This should be interesting....

How about the future?

My parents might be going to Louisiana for Thanksgiving.  I, however, will be in Versailles.

I will also be in Versailles on the 5-7 of October.  There is a taiko performance in Osage Beach that weekend. I wonder if I could sneak over and catch it...  Doubtful.  We will be leaving earlyish on Friday, and camping in my grandmother's field at least one of the nights.  The kids are excited.  The apple festival is Saturday, and we will come home Sunday afternoon.

Speaking of apples, I am going to make a cake for Abbie's class this Friday.  They are having an apple feast, and I will make the bundt cake with the apples in it.

I'm still trying to find a way to hang out with my mother.  I know she's taking my grandmother to the airport this weekend....can't I meet up with them somehow? 

We're going to a pumpkin patch in late October.  YAY!  Should the kids go in costume?  I need to get them costumes....

I am also going to need to get them each a complete set of pants.  Both of them are on the verge of growing out of their pants.  Maybe Abbie can have one or two of Grant's old jeans, but otherwise, they are going to need fresh.  BOO-HOO!  I'm going to be so broke.

Japan counts as the future, right?  I still don't know about that...

We need to schedule our taiko Christmas karaoke.  I'm convinced that Julie, at least, will be booked if we don't hurry!

I will be practicing taiko tonight!  I think we are learning some of the stuff Laura and Jaci learned while at the KASA/Mix!

I had to create a yahoo email address for this calendar thing...and I don't know how to work it.  So far, not worth the trouble!

My un-dead caladiums.

 

Hope you are having a happy Tuesday!  Stay healthy.  Flu season is coming, you know.

The PSY question.

Okay.  I'm pretty sure that most people on the planet Earth who are interested have already seen the following, but I had to include it anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0


Now that we have all watched Gangnam Style again, and enjoyed our favorite parts, I will direct you to the following:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/15243653-418/story.html#.UFn3QnLM-_w.facebook

There is one thing that the article fails to mention, however, and that is that Americans really can enjoy music in other languages, as long as they are pretty sure that they are not themselves the object of ridicule or criticism.  It is my personal opinion that they spend a lot of their time thinking that these people from other countries have such dis-similar minds that we couldn't possibly think that the same things are funny, or that people from other countries are so obsessed with America that the bulk of their songs are about how they hate Americans - whether comic or not.

Does that last sentence sound like something I would naturally think to you?  Actually, when I was in college, I had some people tell me that those were their true opinions.  So then I asked around.  I couldn't see why they would feel that way, but the men and women I spoke to went so far as to tell me that the reason foreign nationals sit together at lunch and only speak in their native tongue is because they are bashing America or Americans.  After that I started to watch, and noticed facial expressions that seemed to support that this assumption was somewhat general.  I remember that once a girl blushed when the table full of middle eastern men behind her broke out laughing.  None of them seemed to be looking in her direction.  It was clear to me that not just a few, but many college educated Americans were under the impression that they were a nearly constant object of foreign ridicule.  What I say to that is:

Narcissistic much?

Why would the whole world be thinking about Americans all the time?  Surely they have their own jokes and their own stories and their own songs.

But I am me, and we all know what I think of foreign songs, having posted many that I enjoy in this very blog.  What I want to know is - now that we have proved that we can handle a song in another language, why do we not have them available on our radios and in our stores?  Surely the writers can't object to the inflow of money that only self indulgent America can provide.  I used to think that there were rules and laws preventing it, but if Gangnam Style is getting radio play, then this cannot be the case.

Can someone out there please give this some serious thought?  I think hearing songs and not getting our defences up is a big step, and why not add a little tolerance through music?

Or maybe I just want to hear these songs, damn it! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka1JNhprlag

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VE6PNwmr9g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spVr3MyKZsQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3u0vq0WyIA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6G9j1nScXo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMGVQaGZZSA&feature=related

Oden's Day

I just started getting a headache when I was picking the kids up from school.  Before I actually thought to myself, "Hmm!  I feel a headache coming on," I actually  noticed that my eyes were having trouble focusing in my glasses.  Then, a few minutes later, I felt the headache.  The signs point to sinus issues, but I hope they are wrong.

Today, I did just what everyone thinks I do all the time - nothing.  It was like being a college student again.  Well, except that it didn't feel as good.  Mostly, I spent the whole day saying, "Meh."  I watched a movie, but didn't particularly enjoy it.  I ate cereal, but that didn't do it for me, either.  I also spent about an hour this morning thinking that it was Thursday.  And I made a list of all the things I'm going to do....tomorrow.

A touch of nausea.  This headache is going to be a doozy.  I think I'm going to be proactive and take the Motrin now.

Be right back.

Ok.  Now I am armed against headacheness.  And it can do double duty for the benefit of my hurt shoulder.  I went to taiko last night [ready, set, reverse chronology!!].  The first thing we did was the 6 minute drill again.  I was extra careful, and managed to get through it without re-injury.  Then, we did The Movement Drill.  It's one of my favorites.  I swear, I started out being super careful!  I felt it the second I forgot to keep that up, though.  Woops.  So irritating, though!  As soon as I figured out that I was probably done for the day and then some, we did all kinds of stuff that I wanted to do!  First, we played Hachijou/Miyake.  Wanted to play.  Boo.  I taught Theresa, and helped the shime players.  It was like vicariously being involved.  The next thing I was totally jealous of was that they decided to play Omiyage....backwards.  What I mean is that they switched to the other side of the drum, causing all hits to be done with the opposite hand, as well as all the choreography to be done with the opposing/corresponding body part.  That song, if you are unfamiliar, has lots of motion, and lots of twirls.  And I missed this great brain and body workout. 

I wore my awesomely retro shirt to taiko on purpose to go with my crazy Early 90's hair that I've had lately....but forgot that I was coming from an interview, and that my hair wasn't au natural.  It just wasn't the same with straight bangs.  Also - this took me by surprise:  when I was picking the kids up, I was still wearing my black interview pants, and as I was sitting in the car, the sun was coming in through the open windows.  One leg got so hot that I had a rash/burn on my leg when I got home, and actually went so far as to put aloe on it.  Polyester and rayon.  Wouch, Dude.

So, yes, I interviewed for the substitute teacher position yesterday.  It was brief, but successful.  I was then sent to the Central Office to get a stack of paperwork.  Tomorrow I will return it with a voided check, and since the hire is pending another background check, which I will pass, I am pretty much hired.  However - I am not done with the process.  After I pass the next background check, I will have to do an orientation [sounded like part-computer, part- in person], and then I can be put into the system.  "The System".  Makes it sounds like I haven't already entered into several systems during this complex procedure.

I talked to my grandmother on Monday evening.  So fun.  She's really looking forward to her trip to Washington DC to see your youngest.  And, I was reminded, shortly after that, she is off to visit some old friends in Louisiana (the same ones me and my mother helped drive them to see when my grandfather was still alive) accompanied by my uncle.  Sadly, she says I won't have time to visit him while he is in the area, but he will be returning for Thanksgiving.  Then, I talked to my mom a little while after that.  We are trying to plan a get together sometime soon, and also we talked about the potential Rams game.  I think Josh has settled on the December 2nd game.  Dad is off visiting relatives, and I think Mom might be a little lonely in the evenings.  I think I'll call her tonight.

I've also heard from my brother!  He emailed me to ask what went wrong with a recipe I gave him, and I cleared that all up for him.  He still didn't answer whether his stove is gas or electric at his "during the schoolweek" apartment in Denver, though.

That's the news, Folks.  I have no political commentary at this time.  Refreshing thought.

Happy Wednesday.  Off I go to cook Loose Meat Burgers for dinner!!

Cheerful on a Monday (Is that allowed?)

Happy Monday to you!

How are you, Friends?  I am pretty well.  I seem to have pulled my left shoulder last week while practicing taiko.  We did the 6-minute drill, which concentrates on form and stamina.  I figured I'd have a good bit of both, having just come from two taiko-intensive weekends in a row.  It seems I was mistaken.  Shoulder didn't seem bad at the time, so I kept playing until it was time to archive the photos.  It was really the next day that I noticed worsening instead of improvement.  Friday was the worst, but I'm much better now.  The pulled muscle is in that inconvenient shoulder blade/spine/somehow attached to the neck place.  Yay for Motrin.  

I should take this moment (since I haven't any idea how long it may last) to announce that no one in my house is sick at all.  Thank you for your attention.

The kids got their mid-term progress reports on Friday.  Grant has top marks in everything except handwriting, in which he has an A- (That was a gift.  His handwriting is terrible.)  Abbie got good marks, but her report card hardly covered anything!  It was a little disappointing.  I mean, it said she was reading at "At Least Grade Level" but didn't give the usual score, and she's getting an A in Math, but it didn't say anything about any other subjects.  The only way I can understand it is that this must have something to do with Abbie's actual teacher being on maternity leave.  But if the sub is acting as the teacher in all other ways, you'd think she would be capable of filling out a progress report....

Anyway, kids are doing great at school.

Josh can get cheap(ish) Rams football tickets through work.  We're going to see if my parents want to come with us to a game.  Sadly, my dad is on vacation with his siblings right now, so we can't actually ask him until he checks in or comes home. 

Abbie is counting the days until October.  I think she might be a tad excited about the Versailles Apple Festival.

So, remember how this weekend was the Stay Home weekend?  You know, after two weekends of demanding performances, I was going to stay close to home, while Josh took the plane up?  Remember?  And we were going to have family games, and I was gonna get the house in order and cook and stuff?  Well, Saturday morning, Josh looks at the forecast and decides not to go flying.  Instead, he wants to go to the zoo.  I was tired just thinking about it, but who can say no to the zoo?  Especially when it's not 97 degrees out.  So we met Molly and Ryan there and had a day at the zoo. As we were leaving the house, I indicated my short sleeves and asked, "Hey, Guy Who Checked The Weather, am I going to be okay in this?"  Josh said yes.  And then had to buy me a sweatshirt at the zoo.  He said that I should get a neutral color, so he could use the sweatshirt, too, so I gave up on the purple one and went with gray.  Then, he proceeded to announce that the trip was my birthday trip, since I got a sweatshirt. 

No comment necessary, I hope.

But I saw "Dougie"!!  She is such an amazing artist.  We watched her paint caricatures with pencil and airbrush.  So professional.  She's great.  I have been trying to figure out how to have some hang-out time with her without making one or the other of us drive for an hour.  : /  Boo for living too far.

I have completely given up on moving east, except in my daydreams.

Sunday I cooked my Chicken and Rice pot, and we played outside and watched movies and the kids played chess after dinner.  Josh mostly did homework.

I love Josh, but he seems to be getting pissy that his homework expects any actual work from him.  He's just spoiled from all this online stuff.  It really makes me pretty mad that when he's done he will have a specialized degree, I will have a general one, and I actually worked for mine, and he did his in his spare time and half the time was spoon fed the answers.  In fact, any time he has to actually come up with an answer on his own - guess what he does.  I dare you.  Seriously, guess.  He ASKS ME.  He's supposedly on his second to last semester.  Oh, the comfort of a college education. 

Hey, honey, why don't you try reading the chapter, reading the directions, reading the question and then coming up with your own response?  Just a tip.

Sounds like Josh is on the Bad List, but he's not, really.  I just needed to let that out. 

Oo!  I had planted some caladiums on the side of the house, and they never came up because of the drought.  I classified them under DEAD.  But I was wrong!  They came up this week!  How cute is that?!  Now I'm all excited.

My flower beads look trashy because I need to mulch them, but have no mulch currently.  I think I'll wait until the weather cools off, and do it when things are going dormant.....and mulch is cheap.

It was foggy this morning.  I kinda like fog.  Maybe it's just that it is a novelty.  Just now we had a happy little rain, too.  This is as opposed to an angry rain, and not to be confused with a sulky drizzle.  Missouri is great with the moody rainstorms.

I think the kids are growing.  Grant was pretty cranky this weekend.  Last few weeks, Abbie has been voraciously hungry and sleepy.  Anyone else foresee me going broke buying jeans this year? 

I have so many yummy leftovers that I don't know what to make for lunch!!!!!  I have chicken and rice pot, still, and on Friday I made a meatloaf, and zuchinni with butter and garlic powder.  Aw, heck - maybe I'll just have a little of everything!

Here is the song of the day.  I found it humerous.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNkmodAnxng&feature=relmfu

Going and Going...!

Went to taiko last night to return drums and receive pictures to archives that were taken by family members of a few members during the Japanese Festival over Labor Day weekend.  I knew the kids and drums wouldn't both fit in the car, so I had to wait until Josh came home to be with the kids before I could leave.  Late as I was going to have to be, Michelle had also asked for a ride, so I made a stop on the way.  I was a little surprised when she didn't actually participate in practice.....at all.  I wasn't on the set that was being practiced, but I was participating.  I had to stop, eventually, and do the photo compilation.  Then, Michelle wanted to go, so we left early.  She was hungry and so we stopped at Subway.

Little did I know, but my participation in practice lead some people to believe that I WAS part of this weekend's performance.  I felt really bad about having to correct them this morning.  Why do I feel bad about things that aren't my fault?  Well, I just do.  Please don't think that my intellect doesn't work.  It's just that my feelings work, too, and are much harder to argue with, since they are rarely based on logic.

Here are some songs for you.

Today, we are feeling French!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cv9NIzGmSI The original - see this for details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poup%C3%A9e_de_cire,_poup%C3%A9e_de_son

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI3DAVexrjg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuTaYJSQ5jg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=vCZ3qnX0UbA

Watching French videos has exposed me a lot to those mens' shirts that seem to be popular now.  You know, the deep v-necks that show off the Man-cleavage.  Not my favorite.  A collar bone here and there definitely work, but that's IT.  That is the boundary.  Blech.  Stop exposing yourself at me. 

I'm making a dinner tonight that Abbie has already told me is "not her favorite."  Wish me luck.

Plans for this weekend have been very fluid.  In fact, I have no idea what the plan is.  I think I'm meant to stay home, and I guess that's fine with me!  I'm looking forward to Family Game Night.  We can play with our friends next weekend. 

Done And Done!!

Time to be human again!!!  I just finished my last performance obligation for about a month, I think.  Now I can do all the stuff that has been waiting for me to be available, like paying bills and cleaning house and doing laundry and taking the dogs to get shots..and....

..being human kinda sucks.

But it does mean that I will be available to have plans with my friends.  Yes, it's true, half of them are taiko players and I've been seeing a LOT of them already, but I can't help it.  At least we won't be asking each other for band-aids and sunscreen and such.  I kinda want to have a picnic.  It's picnic weather again.  Or we could go to the zoo.

It's the weather.  I feel rejuvenated. 

Springfield was so nice.  The people were great, and the weather was amazing.  Well, except for the 70 mile/hr winds as we were arriving at the hotel.  We were rained out the first night.  The rest was great.  We befriended the Lion Dancer, ate at Lambert's, sang karaoke...Heck, we even played some taiko!

It was so hard driving right past Rolla and not seeing my parents.  No choice, though.  Michelle wasn't ready when I got to her house and we were very much late.  Not on the way back, though!!  So, I called my mom, and me and Michelle had dinner at Panera with my parents.  So, THERE!  It was nice.  My favorite was when Mom asked how the kids were, since she hadn't seen them in so long. 
"Uh, Mom...you saw them last weekend."
"Well, it feels long."

This week, I shall be starting the taiko photo compilation.  We will see how that goes.  The facebook gallery will be easy, the web site not.  But first things first - people need to send photos.  You don't have any, by chance, do you? 

I really do have a lot to say, but there is so much to catch up on.  I will have to unfurl my opinions of Life in the Large later.  (Look!  Alliteration!)

My one day of rest.

JAPANESE FESTIVAL  - 1 down, 1 to go.

That's right, the Missouri Botanical Gardens J-Fest is over, and was a success.  It rained, but the show did not get cancelled!  Here is a video of that happening:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXIeldx1XAc

See how they had to ninja the drums out of direct exposure?  And still, most of the crowd stayed!!  They probably don't know it, but we (the performers) have the highest respect for that level of dedication.  We actually LIKE it when the *ahem* fair-weather fans are weeded out.  We are left with a great and energetic crowd, which we always like.  Way to go, you guys!!!!  (Wherever you are...)  Okay, so we also like enormous crowds, too. 

Most of Saturday when I wasn't dressing, loading or performing, I was in the Dashi.  I think I was there for between 3 and 4 hours.  I played taiko with lots of little kids, but not as many as usual by a long shot.  It was very quiet, due to the rain.  So, I played a lot with my "teammates".  It was great fun.  It rained some, but we were under an overhang.  The wetness did give me blisters, though.  Bad ones, which I fought all weekend long.

 

This pic is actually of my playing in the Dashi last year.  Note the taped up fingers.

Would you like to hear what I had for lunch the first day?  Onigiri, with salmon in the middle.  SO. VERY. Yum!!  I didn't have time for dinner.  I also bought some presents for the kids,and geta to dance in for Suwako.  It terrified me that I was going to dance in front of a zillion people in footwear I'd never worn before, but I didn't fall down or anything.  At the end of the night I felt tired, but it was nothing to how wet and gross I felt.  I went home, took Motrin and WASHED my costume.

Sunday I played in the Dashi, too, but only until Josh and the kids came (an hour).  They played in the Dashi, of course, and got water yo-yos from the Natsukashia and made origami.  We had lunch together, too.  Then they watched the 2pm show.  So did my parents!  I walked around with them for about 45 minutes and then said good-bye.  Before the 7pm show was a performance by the community group, and I helped with that.  I think they did a really great job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NN2wdhn6OY

Monday I grabbed food as I came in.  I was hungry.  I got onigiri and sushi.  It was just what I wanted.  Ahh...  By then I was actually feeling the exhaustion, and was tired of trying to keep my torn up hands from hurting.  However, I scraped up as much energy as I could, and we had a gigantic crowd.  Monday was probably our best performance. Sadly, I don't think anyone was taking video for that.

I'm doing the photo compilation, as usual, but the photos aren't coming in as fast as they have in the past.  I'm a little nervous about what we'll end up with, but that's what we get for not hiring someone!! 

Anyway, don't get comfy, because we are far from done!!!  Last night was another performance practice, and tomorrow will be, too.  Friday morning, I will drive to Michelle's and then we will head off to Springfield to yet another weekend of taiko fun!  RAWR!  In fact, today is my one and only day of rest.  Yesterday, the kids did not have school.  Today, however, I took an hour long nap.  I need to start cleaning, but I'm going to rest first. 

You wouldn't believe the kind of gross mess that a man and two kids can make when they are unsupervised for a weekend.  Ew. 

Anyway, taking it easy-ish today, and then more taiko, taiko, taiko and taiko!  I hope to be somewhat human again by next Wednesday.

Then I can look for a job.

Gonna be in Springfield, MO this weekend?  Come see us!